Berkshire Councillor Reported to Police for Questioning Afghan Migrant Housing

John Edwards, an independent town councillor in Bracknell, Berkshire, was reported to the police and placed under investigation for allegedly inciting racial hatred after he questioned the impact of housing over 300 Afghan asylum seekers in local hotels on the existing housing waiting list. Edwards shared photos of the migrant hotel interior and raised concerns about whether local veterans and residents were receiving adequate housing support compared to the new arrivals, insisting that all migrants should be treated with dignity and respect. Labour councillor Cherise Welch accused Edwards of spreading far-right propaganda and deliberately stirring up hate, reporting him to authorities including the Ministry of Defence and local police, citing safety concerns over revealing the hotel's location. The controversy followed revelations of a secret £850 million government scheme to relocate thousands of Afghans to the UK after a major data leak in 2022, which critics argue was conducted without sufficient transparency to local communities. Edwards and supporters, including the Free Speech Union, claim the investigation is a tactic to silence legitimate scrutiny and suppress free speech, while Labour leader Keir Starmer maintains that free speech continues to exist robustly in the UK. The incident highlights tensions between government asylum policies, local housing pressures, and the boundaries of public discourse on immigration.